Officials to announce 3rd airline at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport

Mesa officials have scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Monday to announce a third airline coming to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines now offer service at the southeast Valley facility.

Allegiant Air, based in Las Vegas, began serving Gateway in 2008.

Florida-based Spirit Airlines came to Mesa this year.

Both airlines are known for bargain fares and point-to-point service to less-traveled destinations.

The Valley airport already expects to serve 1.2 million passengers this year without counting passengers from a third airline.

Gateway executives in June released a $1.5 billion, 20-year expansion plan for the airport in response to projections that showed its existing terminal would reach capacity in 2014, three years earlier than expected.